31 October 2007

Halloween sorrow

Once again, my Halloween costume has been imposed upon me. Three years ago, I posed as a sad Miami Dolphins fan. They started the season at 0-6. This year, I'm a brokenhearted Dolphins fan, as they're off to their worst start in team history (even worse than their expansion year) at 0-8.

My NFL hopes are not lost, however. My favorite NFC team (the Dallas Cowboys) is currently in first place. So I'm feeling conflicted. But what would Halloween be if everything were peaceful?

22 October 2007

no scrubs for Dr. Sheltie

The accompanying photo was emailed to me under the heading, “Why Dogs Bite People.” I can understand why.

At some level (although I’m at pains to identify it), the Shetland Sheepdogs look funny. To my knowledge, dogs do not grasp the concept of humor. One of the reasons we humans claim to be made in the image of God is that we possess a sense of humor. This photo probably isn’t the best illustration of that.

Needless to say, neither Dr. Sheltie, nor his alter-ego, will be wearing scrubs.

08 October 2007

life takes plastic

Put this post in the "I've been sick and now I'm ready to gripe" file.

There are numerous commercial campaigns of which I'm not fond, but the "Life Takes Visa" slogan is pretty close to the top. The morning in Manhattan commercial is especially lovely. Amid the melodies of Johann Strauss' "Blue Danube" (also heard in the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey), we see people from all walks of life making their payments by swiping the plastic. Suddenly, a troublemaker! He dares pay with cash! Stop the music! Everyone give him a dirty look!

I could understand if he were paying for his coffee with a $50 bill (or even a 20). But he lays down two Washingtons. Oh my, the cashier will have to give him a few pennies' worth of change! Imagine, not wanting to add to your credit card bill! (And offering the least resistance to the ease with which credit cards encourage us to buy all kinds of crap.)

Okay, I'm done.

You can see this commercial, as well as others, at
http://usa.visa.com/personal/visa_brings_you/advertising/index.html?it=h4/personal/visa_brings_you/visa_is_everywhere/index.htmlAdvertising